Taking a "poo bus" to work in Bristol, UK, is about to get a lot easier. A commuter bus that runs on biomethane gas produced by food waste and fecal matter will enter regular service on March 25th, The Guardian reports. This means that people in Bristol will be able to ride the waste-powered bus four days a week, on Service Route 2, of all places.
the bus runs on biomethane gas released from food waste and fecal matter
Bristol's "poo bus" uses fecal matter and food waste generated by 32,000 local households. Microorganisms break down the waste that's gathered at Bristol Sewage Treatment Works, and produce 600 million cubic feet of biomethane a year, reports Gizmag. The bus itself can travel 186 miles on a full tank of gas. The end result is a vehicle that produces less emissions than traditional diesel-powered buses, according to Geneco, the renewable energy company that makes the buses.
"Gas-powered vehicles have an important role to play in improving air quality in UK cities, but the Bio-Bus goes further than that and is actually powered by people living in the local area, including quite possibly those on the bus itself," Geneco general manager Mohammed Saddiq told Gizmag.
Geneco
The Bio-Bus started running in Bristol in November, but it has only been used in the center of the city once before. Its previous route was irregular and easy to miss: it traveled between Bath and Bristol airport — a 17-minute trip, according to Google maps. Now, locals and tourists will be able ride it more often, and for longer periods. If the experiment is successful, Bristol may soon find itself gaining additional "poo buses," according to First West England, the company that operates the bio-bus.
If successful, Bristol may soon find itself gaining additional "poo buses"
"Since its original unveiling last year, the Bio-Bus has generated worldwide attention and so it’s our great privilege to bring it to the city," James Freeman, managing director at First West of England, told The Guardian. "The very fact that it’s running in the city should help to open up a serious debate about how buses are best fuelled, and what is good for the environment."
Verge Video: The Geneva Motor Show's craziest cars in 1 minute